Golf can be a frustrating game. You’ve had the lessons, you do loads of practice, you may already
have quite a low handicap. But somehow you just can’t seem to knock another shot or two off your
round.

What if you could though? Just by thinking about it differently?

The good news is that you can do just that and it’s easy to do. There are some key areas that golfers
talk about where you can apply these differences. Have you ever found yourself in any of the
following situations?

• I try so hard not to go in the trees/bunker, but I often seem to find myself there
• I get really put off if the group following us is waiting by the tee and watching as I play my
• shot
• Sometimes I play a bad shot and it affects me for the next 6 holes
• When I address the ball, sometimes something just doesn’t feel right, but I still go ahead and
• play the shot.

Most golfers have at some point or other, and many find at least one of those things happening in every
round they play. It doesn’t have to be like that.

Here’s something you can try next time you’re on the course.

When you come to play a shot, whether it’s a chip, a drive or a putt, notice what you’re thinking
about and where your attention is.

Firstly are you thinking about the game at all? Or are you thinking about work, or something you
have to do at home? Now let’s assume that we’ve got your attention on the game and on the
particular shot you’re about to play. Lets imagine it’s a fairway shot.

What are you thinking about? Notice any thoughts that are going through your mind. Are you
focussing on the bunker or the trees and hoping you’ll avoid them? Are you remembering a bad shot
that you played sometime in the past?

STOP! Re-focus! Remember a good shot that you played, when you just seemed to effortlessly get
the ball exactly where you wanted it. Remember how good that felt. Now, bring that feeling back to
the shot you’re about to play. Imagine exactly how the flight of the ball will look, imagine exactly
where it will bounce and land way up there towards the hole. Picture the shot, feel how it will feel as
you play it.

Now, remember all the technical stuff you learned from your Pro, the mechanics of how to play a
good shot. Now put that into practice with your new mindset focussing only on how good the shot
feels and that its going to land exactly where you want it to.

If you want to find out more, you can come to my talk “Think Your Way to a Better Round”  at
Epsom Golf Club on the evening of Thursday June 28th. Places are limited so you must book in
advance: contact the club’s Golf Professional, Stuart Walker on 01372 741 867 for further details.